Kitchen Tips

For this demonstration, I’m using poblano peppers for my chiles rellenos casserole, but of course, this method can be used with any type of pepper. _____________________________________________________________________ 1. Preheat your broiler to high. 2. Cut your peppers in half and remove the stems, seeds and pith (white parts). _____________________________________________________________________ 3. Place the pepper halves skin side up on a parchment covered cookie sheet. _____________________________________________________________________ 4. Roast peppers until they’re...

I’m not always in the mood (or don’t always have the time) to wash, stem, and chop greens on the fly. For busy days, a home cooked dinner can only happen if I have a few things on hand that I can grab and just toss into a pan. When I came home from the farmer’s market last week with 2 beautiful bunches of fresh kale and 2 bunches of beets (w/ greens attached), this is what I did to make life easy for the rest of the week…. ______________________________________________________________________________ I removed the stems (simply lay each leaf down with the stem facing...

Years ago, I was very stand-of-ish with leeks, as I didn’t quite understand them. What I failed to realize back then is that they’re pretty much just big, fat scallions, and thinking of them this way made them a lot less intimidating. They have a mild, sweet, onion flavor when sautéed, and pair really well with eggs (try adding sautéed leeks to an omelette or frittata), are great in soups/stir fries, or as a topping for home-made pizza. You can really use them any way you’d use regular onions. Interestingly enough, my daughter will not go near an onion (unless it’s pureed and visually...

TO PREVENT AN ICKY MESS…. Long time meat eaters might already be aware of this, but I thought I’d forewarn any unsuspecting vegetarians considering a shift in diet. When you defrost meat in the refrigerator, take a few seconds to double (or triple) bag the product, and/or set it inside a rimmed dish. Sometimes there is a pin-prick of an opening in the plastic, allowing the “liquid” (eww) to leak all over the refrigerator as it defrosts. This happened to me several times before I learned my lesson, and it’s an annoying/disgusting mess to clean up. Perhaps this...

If you find you have an abundance of milk on hand and are looking for ways to use it up before it turns, here are some tasty options: SMOOTHIES-&-MILK-SHAKES RICE-PUDDING PANCAKES BAKED-MAC-&-CHEESE OATMEAL/PORRIDGE/CEREAL CREAMY-CORN-SOUP CREAMY-CARROT-SOUP CREAMY-POTATO-CHEDDAR-SOUP CREAMY-TOMATO-SOUP CREAMY-ROASTED-PARSNIP-&-PEAR-SOUP FETTUCINE-ALFREDO Keep in mind, freezing milk is also a viable option. When I do so, I freeze in specific portions. For example, I’ll freeze 2 & 1/2 cups of milk in a large, glass mason jar which is the exact amount I need to make a...

In case anyone is avoiding tempeh because they simply don’t know how to handle it, I hope these photos help… It’s certainly not the only way to prepare tempeh, but one of the easy, versatile ways we enjoy it. First, cut tempeh in half right through the plastic. Then squeeze out each half (gently pushing from the ends). Next, cut each half again so you have 4 quarters. Stand each quarter on its side and slice in half. You should now have 8 thin slices of tempeh. Heat oil of choice over medium heat in a large saute pan and saute a few chopped up cloves of garlic for a minute or 2, until just...

While it’s best to eat local and seasonal, some of us don’t always want to wait until the end of summer for those sweet, delicious, red bell peppers. I may be making a big pot of chili on a blustery February night, and need a pepper! Unfortunately, according to the EWG, bell peppers are one of the “dirty dozen” (the 12 vegetables that hold the heaviest pesticide residue), so the average, grocery-store kind are pretty unappetizing to me. On the up side, many grocery stores sell organic peppers on a fairly regular basis. The only problem is that more often than...

I’ve recently spent some time compiling a list of all the store-bought, convenience products I use. The list represents several hundred hours of research (over the years), as I’m not one to haphazardly grab random products from grocery store shelves. Over the past 6 months, I’ve done a great deal of additional research to seek out newer products. I was excited to have found so many new, tasty keepers =) I purposely don’t have a website with advertisements, as that’s not my style, but of course, I do dedicate quite a bit of time to posting recipe ideas and health...

_________________________________________________________ Some would say I have Grinch-like tendencies around Halloween, but I try to take it in stride, and have come up with a few ways for someone like me (a hardcore food-quality inspector) to deal with the onslaught of candy without being a total party-pooper. Here are a few options for other parents who feel the same way…. _________________________________________________________ ~ Let the kids enjoy their candy for a few days, but don’t let it drag out too long. Believe it or not, it’s easier on the teeth and less...

For some reason, it sounds difficult to peel tomatoes, but it’s really not. Here’s how you do it… ___________________________________________________________________ Cut a shallow X across the bottom of each tomato. Don’t make a deep cut, just lightly score the skin. ___________________________________________________________________ Bring a pot of water to boil, and use a large spoon to drop each tomato into the water. After approximately 30 seconds, use the same spoon to remove the tomatoes from the pot. The skin will have loosened & split, and within a minute...

Bread crumbs are extremely simple to make at home. All you need is bread. Any and all kinds work – sliced bread, rolls, buns, ends, sourdough, whole grain, spelt, rye, gluten free – whatever you like, whatever you have. If you keep sliced sandwich bread at home, making bread crumbs is one way to put the ends to good use. As you come across end pieces, just keep them together, in a bag in the freezer, and pull out slices as needed. I don’t recommend using stale bread (as is sometimes suggested), unless you want stale bread crumbs. Use fresh or frozen bread. All you have to...